Refrigerator appliance having a rotating compartment liner separating a freezer and a convertible chamber

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining a primary chilled chamber and a compartment liner dividing the primary chilled chamber into a freezer chamber and a convertible chamber. The compartment liner is rotatable for accessing the freezer chamber and a door is rotatably mounted to the compartment liner for accessing the convertible chamber. The freezer chamber and the convertible chamber have approximately the same storage volume and are cooled using a single sealed system.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to refrigerator appliances,and more particularly to door and chilled chamber configurations forrefrigerator appliances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines one ormore chilled chambers for receipt of food articles for storage. Inaddition, one or more doors are typically rotatably hinged to thecabinet to permit selective access to food items stored in chilledchamber(s). Refrigerator appliances are often classified according tothe chamber configuration. For example, refrigerator appliances with abottom mounted freezer compartment are referred to as bottom mountrefrigerators, those with their freezer compartments on top are referredto as top mount refrigerators, and side-by-side refrigerators have thefreezer and fresh food compartments positioned beside each other andextending vertically along a height of the appliance.

Conventional refrigerator appliances often have various limitations interms of cooling, compartment configurations, and accessibility ofstored food items. For example, current bottom mount configurationsprovide convenient access to fresh food storage and less convenientaccess to freezer storage. This is because the freezer is positionedclose to the ground and requires the customer to bend down to reachitems stored there. By contrast, current top mount configurationsprovide convenient access to the freezer chamber and not the fresh foodchamber. Side-by-side refrigerators provide easy access to only portionsof both compartments; however, neither compartment is wide enough forstoring some common food items, such as frozen pizzas in a horizontalorientation.

Certain conventional refrigerator appliances use a door-in-door designfor improved access. Such designs include a two-part door where an outerdoor can be opened to provide access to food items stored in a secondarystorage space (e.g., on or in the door itself) or the complete door canbe opened to provide access to contents in the fresh food compartment.However, such door-in-door configurations provide minimal secondarystorage space and do not provide for cooling the compartments todifferent temperatures. In this regard, the freezer compartment ofconventional door-in-door refrigeration appliances is still a separatecompartment in the cabinet separated by a fixed divider or mullion.

Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with features for improving accessto items stored therein would be desirable. More particularly, arefrigerator appliance that provides chamber configurations facilitatingconvenient access to items stored therein and versatile coolingcapabilities would be particularly beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be apparent from the description, or maybe learned through practice of the invention.

In a first exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliance defining avertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction isprovided. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinet defining aprimary chilled chamber. A compartment liner is rotatably mounted to thecabinet, the compartment liner dividing the primary chilled chamber intoa first chilled chamber and a second chilled chamber when in a closedposition, the compartment liner being movable to an open position toprovide selective access to the first chilled chamber. A door isrotatably mounted to the compartment liner for providing selectiveaccess to the second chilled chamber.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a refrigerator appliancedefining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transversedirection is provided. The refrigerator appliance includes a cabinetdefining a primary chilled chamber. A compartment liner is rotatablymounted to the cabinet, the compartment liner dividing the primarychilled chamber into a freezer chamber and a convertible chamber when ina closed position, the compartment liner being movable to an openposition to provide selective access to the freezer chamber. A door isrotatably mounted to the compartment liner for providing selectiveaccess to the convertible chamber and a sealed system is positionedwithin the primary chilled chamber for directly cooling the freezerchamber, the freezer chamber being in fluid communication with theconvertible chamber through a flow control device.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures.

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a refrigerator appliance accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of the exemplary refrigeratorappliance of FIG. 1, with a compartment liner and a door in the openposition to reveal a freezer chamber and a convertible chamber of theappliance.

FIG. 3 provides a perspective view of the exemplary refrigeratorappliance of FIG. 1, with the compartment liner completely open toreveal the freezer chamber of the appliance.

FIG. 4 provides a cross sectional view of the exemplary refrigeratorappliance of FIG. 1, taken along Line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 provides a cross sectional view of the exemplary refrigeratorappliance of FIG. 1, taken along Line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of a refrigerator appliance 100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.Refrigerator appliance 100 includes a housing or cabinet 102 thatextends between a top 104 and a bottom 106 along a vertical direction V,between a first side 108 and a second side 110 along a lateral directionL, and between a front side 112 and a rear side 114 along a transversedirection T. Each of the vertical direction V, lateral direction L, andtransverse direction T are mutually perpendicular to one another.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter,cabinet 102 defines a primary chilled chamber 120. In this regard,primary chilled chamber 120 includes substantially the entire volumedefined in enclosed by cabinet 102. It should be appreciated that asused herein, terms of approximation, such as “approximately,”“substantially,” or “about,” refer to being within a ten percent marginof error. More specifically, as best illustrated in FIG. 2, refrigeratorappliance 100 defines no divider walls or mullions typical in top mount,bottom mount, side-by-side, and other refrigerator appliances. Inaddition, as best illustrated schematically in FIG. 4, cabinet 102 maydefine a machinery compartment 122 for housing a sealed system 124. Forexample, according to the illustrated embodiment, sealed system 124 ispositioned proximate bottom 106 and rear side 114 of refrigeratorappliance 100, although alternative positions and configurations may beused according to alternative embodiments. For simplicity of discussion,the details of operation of sealed system 124 are not discussed herein.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 2 through 5, a refrigeratorappliance 100 further includes a compartment liner 130 which isrotatably mounted to cabinet 102. More specifically, one or more hingemechanisms (not shown) may be used permit compartment liner 130 to moveor rotate between an open position (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3) and aclosed position (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). According toexemplary embodiments, compartment liner 130 may be any suitably rigidcomponent suitable for supporting bins, shelves, and other storagecomponents as well as food items located thereon. For example,compartment liner 130 may be a thermoformed liner or molded plastic. Inaddition, compartment liner 130 may be made from one or more pieces andmay include a thin layer of insulation within its walls.

Compartment liner 130 may define a rear sealing surface 132 that isconfigured for forming a substantially airtight seal with cabinet 102when compartment liner 130 is in the closed position. More specifically,rear sealing surface 132 is defined on a flange 134 that extends outwardalong all sides of compartment liner 130 and may include one or moregaskets or resilient sealing members (not shown) according to exemplaryembodiments. In addition, compartment liner 130 may comprises a handleor recessed hand grip (not shown) to permit a user to grasp and opencompartment liner 130.

Notably, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, compartment liner 130divides primary chilled chamber 120 into a first chilled chamber and asecond chilled chamber when compartment liner 130 is in the closedposition. More specifically, according to the exemplary embodimentdescribed herein, the first chilled chamber is a freezer chamber 140 andthe second chilled chamber is a convertible chamber 142. Thus, whencompartment liner 130 is in the closed position, rear sealing surface132 seals against cabinet 102 to define a substantially airtight storagevolume within freezer chamber 140. More specifically, freezer chamber140 is defined between cabinet 102 and a rear surface 144 of compartmentliner 130. In addition, compartment liner 130 may be used to provideselective access to freezer chamber 140. In this regard, a user mayrotate compartment liner 130 to the open position to access food itemsstored within freezer chamber 140. According to an exemplary embodiment,sealed system 124 may be in direct fluid communication with freezerchamber 140 for providing a flow of cooling air therein.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2, refrigerator appliance 100 furtherincludes a door 150 that is rotatably mounted to compartment liner 130for providing selective access to convertible chamber 142. In thisregard, door 150 may be mounted directly to compartment liner 130 orcabinet 102 using any suitable hinge mechanism. In addition, door 150may be rotated relative to both cabinet 102 and compartment liner 130.Thus, in the closed position, door 150 may define a door sealing surface152 that is configured for sealing against a front sealing surface 154defined by compartment liner 130. More specifically, front sealingsurface 154 may be positioned opposite rear sealing surface 132 onflange 134 of compartment liner 130. In addition, one or more gaskets orresilient sealing members may be positioned between door 150 andcompartment liner 130 to ensure convertible chamber 142 is substantiallyairtight. According to an exemplary embodiment, compartment liner 130and door 150 may extend across an entire width and height of cabinet102.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter,sealed system 124 may be used to cool both freezer chamber 140 andconvertible chamber 142. In this regard, for example, refrigeratorappliance 100 may include one or more flow control devices 160 (see,e.g., FIG. 4) which are used to regulate the flow of cooling air intoand out of convertible chamber 142. For example, according to anexemplary embodiment, flow control device 160 may be a set of louversthat are positioned on compartment liner 130 and are configured toselectively open and close to adjust the amount of air passing intoconvertible chamber 142. In this regard, for example, a controller ofrefrigerator appliance 100 may be operably coupled to the louvres andmay regulate their position in order to obtain the desired temperaturewithin convertible chamber 142.

Although flow control device 160 is illustrated herein as being a set oflouvers defined in compartment liner 130, it should be appreciated thataccording to alternative embodiments any other means for regulating thetemperature of convertible compartment 142 may be used. For example, oneor more fans may be positioned in compartment liner 130 and may be usedfor urging the flow of cooling air into convertible chamber 142.Alternatively, cabinet 102 may define internal passages that are influid communication with convertible chamber 142, or convertible chamber142 may have a dedicated sealed system according to alternativeembodiments. In addition, flow control device 160 may be positioned atany other suitable location in or on cabinet 102, compartment liner 130,or door 150.

In this manner, according to exemplary embodiments, sealed system 124 isgenerally configured for maintaining the temperature within freezerchamber 140 at or around conventional freezer temperatures, e.g.,approximately 0° F. By contrast, the temperature within convertiblechamber 142 may be adjusted within a wide range (e.g., between about 0°F. and 60° F.). Specifically, because compartment liner 130 is insulatedand flow control devices 160 may regulate the flow of cool air intoconvertible chamber 142, freezer chamber 140 and convertible chamber 142may be maintained at substantially different temperatures. For example,according to an exemplary embodiment, freezer chamber 140 may bemaintained at a temperature that is cooler than convertible chamber 142by 30° F., 40° F., 50° F., or any other suitable temperature. Thus,convertible chamber 142 may be used as an additional freezer chamber, asa fresh food chamber, as a wine storage chamber, or a chamber suitablefor storing food items at any other suitable temperatures.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 2 through 5, cabinet 102, compartmentliner 130, and door 150 may have any suitable geometries and dimensionsfor improving storage and access of food items. For example, accordingan exemplary embodiment, freezer chamber 140 defines a first depth 170measured along the transverse direction T and the convertible chamber142 defines a second depth 172 measured along the transverse directionT. According to exemplary embodiments, the second depth 172 may begreater than 30%, 40%, or greater than 50% of the first depth 170. Inaddition, according to another embodiment, compartment liner 130 maydivide primary chilled chamber 120 into two substantially equivalentvolume chambers, e.g., such that first depth 170 is substantiallyequivalent to second depth 172.

According to other exemplary embodiments, compartment liner 130 maydivided primary chilled chamber 120 into any suitable storage volumeshaving any suitable geometry. For example, freezer chamber 140 maydefine a first storage volume and convertible chamber 142 may define asecond storage volume. According to exemplary embodiments, the secondstorage volume is greater than 40%, 50%, or greater than 60% of thefirst storage volume. According to still another embodiment, the firststorage volume is substantially equivalent to the second storage volume.

According to an exemplary embodiment, compartment liner 130 may furtherinclude a rear access door 180 that facilitates improved access to itemsstored within convertible chamber 142 when compartment liner 130 is inthe open position. For example, as best illustrated in FIG. 3, rearaccess door 180 is rotatably mounted to compartment liner 130. Accordingto another exemplary embodiment, some or all of compartment liner 130and/or rear access door 180 may be transparent to improve visibility ofitems stored therein or otherwise reduce the visual weight of the door.

As shown generally in FIGS. 2 through 5, various storage components maybe mounted within freezer chamber 140 and convertible chamber 142 tofacilitate storage of food items therein as will be understood by thoseskilled in the art. In particular, the storage components may includebins 190 and shelves 192. Each of these storage components areconfigured for receipt of food items (e.g., beverages and/or solid fooditems) and may assist with organizing such food items. It should beappreciated that the illustrated storage components are used only forthe purpose of explanation and that other storage components may be usedand may have different sizes, shapes, and configurations.

As described above, aspects of the present invention are directed to animprovement to the door-in-door design, where when the door is opened,the user will be provided access to a convertible compartment that willhave an adjustable temperature (e.g., between 0° F. and 60° F.). Whenthe door and compartment liner are opened, the user will have access toa freezer chamber. This design provides single motion access to eitherfresh food or freezer storage. In addition, a single cooling system andevaporator can be placed in the primary compartment and the temperaturein the convertible chamber can be easily adjusted with airflow. The fullwidth freezer chamber also provides sufficient storage space for storinga frozen pizza horizontally, while also providing fresh food storagethat is equally accessible.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the above describedembodiments are used only for the purpose of explanation. Modificationsand variations may be applied, other configurations may be used, and theresulting configurations may remain within the scope of the invention.For example, refrigerator appliance 100 is described herein as having asingle compartment divided by compartment liner 130 and a single door.It is recognized, however, that the benefits of the present disclosureapply to other types and styles of refrigerator appliances such as,e.g., a bottom mount, top mount, a side-by-side, or another single doorrefrigerator appliance. Consequently, the description set forth hereinis for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting inany aspect to any particular refrigerator chamber configuration. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that such modifications andvariations may remain within the scope of the present subject matter.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

1. A refrigerator appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateraldirection, and a transverse direction, the refrigerator appliancecomprising; a cabinet defining a primary chilled chamber; a compartmentliner rotatably mounted to the cabinet, the compartment liner dividingthe primary chilled chamber into a first chilled chamber and a secondchilled chamber when in a closed position, the compartment liner beingmovable to an open position to provide selective access to the firstchilled chamber, the compartment liner comprising a flange that extendsoutward along all sides of the compartment liner, the flange defining arear sealing surface that seals against the cabinet in the closedposition; a door rotatably mounted to the compartment liner forproviding selective access to the second chilled chamber, the doorsealing against a front sealing surface of the flange in the closedposition; and a rear access door rotatably mounted to the compartmentliner to provide selective access to the second chilled chamber.
 2. Therefrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the first chilled chamber isa freezer compartment and the second chilled chamber is a convertiblecompartment.
 3. The refrigerator appliance of claim 2, wherein atemperature in the convertible compartment is adjustable between 0° F.and 60° F.
 4. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the firstchilled chamber is maintained at a first temperature and the secondchilled chamber is maintained at a second temperature, the secondtemperature being at least 30° F. higher than the first temperature. 5.The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the first chilled chamberdefines a first depth measured along the transverse direction and thesecond chilled chamber defines a second depth measured along thetransverse direction, the second depth being greater than 50% of thefirst depth.
 6. The refrigerator appliance of claim 5, wherein the firstdepth is substantially equivalent to the second depth.
 7. Therefrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the first chilled chamberdefines a first storage volume and the second chilled chamber defines asecond storage volume, wherein the second storage volume is greater than60% of the first storage volume.
 8. The refrigerator appliance of claim7, wherein the first storage volume is substantially equivalent to thesecond storage volume.
 9. (canceled)
 10. The refrigerator appliance ofclaim 1, wherein the rear access door is transparent.
 11. Therefrigerator appliance of claim 1, wherein the compartment liner and thedoor extends across an entire width and an entire height of the cabinetand the door extends across an entire width and an entire height of thecompartment liner.
 12. The refrigerator appliance of claim 1, whereinthe first chilled chamber and the second chilled chamber are cooledusing a single sealed system.
 13. A refrigerator appliance defining avertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, therefrigerator appliance comprising: a cabinet defining a primary chilledchamber; a compartment liner rotatably mounted to the cabinet, thecompartment liner dividing the primary chilled chamber into a freezerchamber and a convertible chamber when in a closed position, thecompartment liner being movable to an open position to provide selectiveaccess to the freezer chamber, the compartment liner comprising a flangethat extends outward along all sides of the compartment liner, theflange defining a rear sealing surface that seals against the cabinet inthe closed position; a door rotatably mounted to the compartment linerfor providing selective access to the convertible chamber, the doorsealing against a front sealing surface of the flange in the closedposition: a rear access door rotatably mounted to the compartment linerto provide selective access to the convertible chamber; and a sealedsystem positioned within the primary chilled chamber for directlycooling the freezer chamber, the freezer chamber being in fluidcommunication with the convertible chamber through a flow controldevice.
 14. The refrigerator appliance of claim 13, wherein the flowcontrol device is a set of louvres positioned on the compartment liner.15. The refrigerator appliance of claim 13, wherein a temperature in theconvertible compartment is adjustable between 0° F. and 60° F.
 16. Therefrigerator appliance of claim 13, wherein the freezer chamber definesa first depth measured along the transverse direction and theconvertible chamber defines a second depth measured along the transversedirection, the second depth being greater than 50% of the first depth.17. The refrigerator appliance of claim 16, wherein the first depth issubstantially equivalent to the second depth.
 18. The refrigeratorappliance of claim 13, wherein the freezer chamber defines a firststorage volume and the convertible chamber defines a second storagevolume, wherein the second storage volume is greater than 60% of thefirst storage volume.
 19. The refrigerator appliance of claim 18,wherein the first storage volume is substantially equivalent to thesecond storage volume.
 20. (canceled)
 21. The refrigerator appliance ofclaim 1, wherein the compartment liner comprises a layer of insulationwithin walls of the compartment liner.
 22. The refrigerator appliance ofclaim 13, wherein the compartment liner comprises a layer of insulationwithin walls of the compartment liner.